Content Marketing for Noobs

Just for you I'm going to cover everything you need to know about content marketing.

Why content marketing is the most effective way to get your product or service in front of an audience.

What content marketing is.

How content marketing is done.

Who is using content marketing to create massive online success.

What if you use content marketing to introduce your products or services to an audience.

So relax in your favourite chair, get a cup of your very favourite beverage, and put on some relaxing background music to help you focus and think.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget a notebook and a pen or pencil to jot down some of the key points you’ll want to remember.

Why content marketing is so effective

​How do you feel when someone asks you for permission to show you something as opposed to someone just shoving something in your face whether you want to see it or not?

I'm pretty sure that you'd answer that question the same way that I and most likely 99.9 percent of other people would answer it. We would prefer that someone ask our permission to show us something.

​And that's one of the reasons why content marketing is so effective. You see, when you're already looking for a specific type of information, you feel quite happy when you find that information and use it, especially if it provides real value for you.

And if the person or company that provided that valuable information for you offers to regularly provide even more information of value to you in exchange for your email address, you may decide to give permission by signing up for a weekly newsletter, or coaching program, or set of free ebooks.

This is one of the reason that content marketing has also been referred to as permission marketing. ​

Permission marketing ​is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. Seth Godin at Seth's Blog.

And that's why content marketing is so effective. It's because people give you permission to provide them with something of value, something you've promised, and that gives you an opportunity to begin developing a relationship with them.

With the "why content marketing is so effective" question answered, let's move on to a comparison of content marketing to traditional marketing methods.

Content marketing vs. traditional marketing

You're at home and comfortably watching your favourite TV show. You love the plot and the characters. But you absolutely hate the commercials that continually interrupt the story as it unfolds.

You ever counted how many minutes of advertisements interrupt your show during an hour?

14 minutes and 15 seconds. And that’s on network TV. If you’re watching cable shows then that increases to 15 minutes and 38 seconds.

That’s traditional advertising for you. It’s designed to interrupt you to get noticed. And more and more people are becoming increasingly frustrated with that type of marketing. People just don’t want to be interrupted when they’re doing something they enjoy in order to be force-fed an ad for something they have no interest in and don’t want or need.

​Another issue with traditional television, radio, and print advertising is that there is so much of it. Terms such as bombarded and saturated are used to describe how much advertising the average person like you and me are exposed to daily.

It's not difficult to calculate how many ads are placed in front of you each day. If you want to do your own form of research on this then over the next 24 hours, regardless of where you are, pay close to attention to the number of ads you see. You may be shocked at the number you're exposed to on one day.

Nevertheless, the key term here is 'exposed to.' Because the number of ads you're exposed to is not the same as the number of ads that actually get your attention.

And that's one of the big problems with traditional advertising and why it's being overtaken by permission advertising or content marketing.

So, let's explore that a little further. ​

The problem with traditional advertising and why it's dying

If you’re like the majority of people, you find unwanted advertising being thrown in your face very frustrating. Why does it make you feel that way?

It’s because traditional advertising...

Interrupts you while providing nothing of value.

has only a very narrow window of time to grab your attention, and now DVRs and online streaming allow people to skip right through commercials.

Is very expensive, especially if it doesn't work.

Has bombarded us and saturated the airwaves, print, and billboards. There is simply too much uninvited advertising and people in general are sick of it.

On a personal note, my wife and I watch a fair amount of Youtube content. When it's possible, we skip right through the ads. And of course, we’re not alone, are we? You’ve very likely done the same thing.

At the Television Critics Association's 2015 summer press tour, David Poltrak, chief research officer of CBS Corp. and president of CBS Vision, said this about what he referred to as the "myth" that advertising in TV programs has lost value. He stated the following about TV viewers:​

​They're not craving for a world without advertising. They don't like ads that aren't relevant to them. But they enjoy ads that are relevant to them."

Regarding the fact that about 50 percent of DVR users routinely skip through the ads, Poltrak said:

the number is declining now because they're too busy on their phones to fast-forward through the ads.

​Those are interesting comments coming from a person who is suggesting that the idea that traditional TV advertising is losing its value is a "myth."

If people are too busy on their mobile phones to skip through ads, it certainly doesn't indicate that the ads are providing value for the advertisers. Whether viewers are actually skipping through or simply too busy on their mobile devices while the ads are running, either way they are not watching those ads.

And the reason? In his own words Poltrak said that viewers "don't like ads that aren't relevant to them." Of course, he's right about that and therefore the reason why content marketing is so much more effective and has gained so much in popularity.

What content marketing is and how it's done

So content marketing, unlike traditional media marketing and advertising, is providing FREE content of real value that people want and are actively searching for, in exchange for permission to market a product or service to those same people.

How it's done is very different than traditional marketing. Instead of creating advertisements, content marketers use other methods to produce and deliver the free content. For example:

Videos (Youtube, Vimeo, Wistia, etc.)

Podcast recordings

Infographics

White papers

Blog posts

The people recognised as leaders in this field usually use all of the methods listed above, and more, in order to spread their ideas, services, and products.

And they're using content marketing to offer information that is of real value to their audiences. ​

Who is using content marketing to create massive online success?

Brian Clark, CEO of Copyblogger, built the company into a multi-million dollar enterprise starting with a blog and himself and did it by offering really amazing content for free.

When asked how he defined content marketing, Brian Clark answered: “Giving away valuable information to build an audience and eventually sell to them.”

He and his team have built this company without advertising, venture capital, or an outbound sales team. Awesome!

Copyblogger is where I first started to learn about content marketing and I still use it as my go to resource on an almost daily basis. Check it out because it's a great resource for anything related to content marketing.

Joe Pulizzi launched what is now the Content Marketing Institute in 2007. He is one of the foremost authorities and evanglisers for content marketing. The CMI site is loaded with super valuable information on the subject of content marketing and is a great go to resource for any individual or company looking for guidance and advice on the subject.

This is an incredible resource offering high-value information for content marketers.

Curata offers a ton of valuable content on the subjects of content marketing and content curation. Be sure to check out their blog.

Another great content marketing resource to check out.

​These are only 3 of the hundreds of awesome resources you'll find on the Internet to begin educating yourself on the subject of content marketing. There's a lot to read and learn so, get too it!

What if you use content marketing to introduce your products or services to an audience?

If you use it the right way, by creating awesomely engaging content that people are looking for, then you'll also attract your own tribe of raving fans who'll tell their friends about your great content too.

But you've got to have a strategy in place before you start. And that will be the subject of my next posting.

I trust you've enjoyed this introduction to content marketing for noobs, noob. (I use that term with the sincerest respect, believe me).

Please remember to share a comment or two below and to like us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin, and anywhere else you'd like to share this wonderful content.

And last but not least, have a super week and the best to you with your content marketing! ​